Blogs

How is Transition different from school?

After finishing year 12, young people with disability can go on to a two-year program with NOVA Transition.

So is Transition an extension of school? Trainees from St Marys and Campbelltown NOVA Transition outlets have been pondering the differences. And they’ve taken very different approaches to explaining what they came up with!

St Marys

School is for all children who start when they are five years old, finishing year 12 by age 18. In school we learn reading, writing, respect and discipline.

Another happy parent

Imagine being the parent of three taxpayers.

Kathy Sammut never imagined this would be her life. She recalls that when her children, Anthony, Michelle and Matthew, finished school, she and her husband would say, ‘They’re going to be home all the time, and they’re not going to see the world out there’.

Focus on Ability Film Festival 2017

NOVA Employment’s Focus on Ability Short Film Festival 2017 is almost upon us. It’s been called ‘the most inclusive film festival in the world’ and we love it.

Inclusive because of its theme, because it’s open to everybody, and because there are no entry fees. Plus there are so many ways you can participate: by making films, watching them online (and voting for your favourites), or organising a festival event or screening in your community.

So here’s a timely reminder: entries close on 30 June. Your film must be no longer than five minutes (not including credits) and must be about the ability of people with a disability. We’ll upload all eligible entries to the website on 25 July, and voting will then be open until 7 August.

Let's get working

Let’s be honest: there’s a lot to getting a job. Before you can walk in that door as an employee, you’ll need to:

figure out what sort of job will suit you

get some training (unless you are already able to do the job)

apply for positions – this might be by:

responding to an advertisement

talking with people about what work they have available

write resumes and cover letters

convince an interviewer that you’re the person for the job.

Phew! It can be a tough gig. NOVA Transition is here to support you along the path to employment. A valuable resource is NOVA Employment’s Let’s Get Working website, which is packed with practical tips and advice for job seekers.

Catching up on bus business

What better way to learn about travelling by public transport than to take the train to the bus depot?

That was the mission of the Windsor Wolves on a recent excursion. Being able to use public transport is an important skill that we practise at Windsor NOVA Transition: it enables us to travel independently to work.

But we decided to go one step further and find out all about buses, the bus industry and what it's like to be a bus driver. So we headed to Windsor Busways Depot to meet Ian, the Manager, and Senior Bus Driver Chris.

Finding a great disability employment service

A disability employment service is there to help you get a job. But are you happy with just any old job? Do you want a job doing something you like? Do you want to work somewhere that you feel valued? Do you want to work as many hours as you are able to?

Different employment services take different approaches to supporting people with a disability. Some will find you a job – any job – as quickly as possible, even if it’s not the right sort of job for you.

Others will work with you to find out your interests and skills. They will look for jobs that match your needs and the hours you want to work. We know that you are much more likely to find a job that’s right for you with this second approach. And you’re more likely to stay in the job.

Hands-on learning at Westmead Hospital

Here at Nova, we believe that experiential learning is critical to our trainees’ success in progressing to employment. It’s a philosophy shared by Tony, a technical officer in the cardio unit, who had some awesome activities for us.

Tony works with electronics and metal in his workshop to make pieces of equipment used in heart surgery. We were expecting him to give us a tour of the vet hospital and show how his work helps the medical staff perform procedures.

Industry visit has Rouse Hill trainees blooming

Industry visits are just one of the ways that NOVA trainees learn about what's really involved in the world of work. Now we have a much better understanding about careers in floristry – and whether or not that's something we are interested in.

The Manager, Rebecca, and staff member Elizabeth were wonderful and taught us so much about the art of floristry and becoming a florist, as well as budgeting and business.

Camden trainees visit the Sydney Opera House

Let's cook! Life in a commercial kitchen

Getting to know more about the industries we might work in is really important for NOVA Transition trainees. We enjoy having guest speakers from our local area to talk about what happens in their workplace.

At NOVA Windsor we have such a great space and love to share it with other outlets so in February we invited the Rouse Hill and Richmond trainees over to join us in hosting our guest speaker Tracy Housten from Pepe’s Ducks.

Tracy is a chef by trade and has been in food industry for 32 years. She is currently Product and Development Manager for Pepe’s Ducks here in South Windsor.

Managing money: a valuable industry visit

At NOVA Transition, we learn about life skills as well as workplace issues. The Rouse Hill group made an industry visit to Suncorp Bank Parramatta, for a session on managing money throughout life.

First of all, though, we worked out how to get to Parramatta Westfield and what bus we needed to catch. Then the Suncorp Bank did a presentation to teach us about managing our money.

We learned about setting goals and how to tell the difference between needs and wants. For example, you need a drivers licence for your job; you might want a nice car, but you don’t need it for your job.

Budgeting is important to make sure we spend our money on the right things. Some ideas to help us save money were:

Why is initiative important in the workplace?

We know employers love employees with initiative, but what does it mean? Well NOVA Transition, Windsor has found out and is putting it into practice both in and out of the training room!

Initiative generally means to do what needs to be done without having to be asked, even if it is not your job. For example, you may not the office cleaner, but if you saw a piece of paper on the floor would you pick it up? If you answer ‘yes’ then you are using your initiative.

Not just a job, an achievable, realistic, sustainable, suitable career

NOVA Transition Liverpool has some bright new stars this year with the drive and ambition to go out and get not just a job but create an achievable, realistic, sustainable, suitable career!

Already in 2017, the first-year trainees have expanded their knowledge and gained confidence to go out into the workforce. We’re learning how to achieve our goals!

So, how do we achieve our goals?

At Nova Transition the job coaches help us gain skills during work experience, for example retail, administration and hospitality; however, we also do work experience in warehousing, trades and care work. When we go to work experience the employer expects us to follow their instructions when doing a task. All trainees must follow safety guidelines and report all hazards to their supervisor.

After work experience we receive employer feedback reports, using the feedback to improve our resumes and add the employer as a referee.

82 young people with disability graduated from Transition to Work

Last year 82 young people with disability graduated from NOVA Transition. We're very proud of them.

Of the 82 graduates, 75 got award-wage employment and seven went on to further education. Nine graduates found apprenticeships and eight were placed into traineeships. Six graduates are working full-time – that's 38 hours per week. For more information on the graduation event, please read here.

NOVA Employment found work for the graduates in all sorts of industries, including building, automotive, retail, hospitality, childcare and maintenance. For more examples of the type of work past trainees now do, click here.

Are you a student with a disability completing year 12 this year? Want support to find a good, well-paid job that suits your skills and interests?

NOVA Transition Graduation 2016

On the 7th of December, 2016 we held our annual NOVA Transition Graduation. This event celebrates the achievements of 74 young people living with a disability over their 2 year program. NOVA Transition is an intensive program which has a strong focus on job readiness and employment outcomes. During this time, our participants take part in over 150 hours of work experience, intensive one on one workshops designed to gain employment as well as learning about interview skills, how to design their resume and how to act in the workplace. This is done in conjunction with a nationally recognised qualification being a Certificate 1 in Workplace Education.

Exciting preparations for the 2016 graduation

There has been a buzz in the training rooms at Nova Transition as the year winds up and the graduation of our hardworking second year participants rapidly approaches.

A graduation is always an exciting time, and here at Nova Transition we always have a lot to celebrate at each year’s ceremony as our cohort of trainees graduate with a Certificate I in Work Education.

Learning from past trainees

Whenever they get the chance, Transition to Work groups love to hear from their graduates – people who have found a job and worked in it for a while, then come back and speak to the current trainees. The group at Penrith recently discussed what they learn from hearing these returning graduates.

Meet Simon

Meet Simon. Simon left NOVA Transition over three years ago when we found him a job at Target in Broadway. Simon is still an employee there and is working over 15 hours a week. Simon always gave 100 per cent in his program and is one of the most hardworking and pleasant young men to come through the program.

Job choices: how to decide if the job is right for you!

Achievable, Realistic, Suitable and Sustainable – or ARSS – is a mechanism used at NOVA to ensure that our transition trainees are going to be suitable for a particular job when they enter the workforce. Anyone can use these points to help to decide whether a job is right for them.

About NOVA Employment

NOVA is a supported employment program that offers specialist job-seeking assistance and post-placement support. We find jobs in the general community at award wage.

NOVA works exclusively with people who have a disability or significant barriers to work. We have an excellent record of success and meaningful career development. Staff from our Campbelltown office also support people who are deaf or hearing impaired. NOVA is not a sheltered workshop or 'business service'.